How times have changed. Or have they? I remember more than 30 years ago when my husband and I built our first house. I was so excited about the prospect of getting an appliance cupboard that would store those regular countertop items, such as the kettle and toaster. I loved the idea that these daily conveniences could be easily accessible, but I could quickly hide them by closing a door on my benchtop, immediately leaving my kitchen in a clear and tidy state.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Fast forward to 2025, and I couldn't care less about an appliance cupboard in my kitchen. I realise that while providing the illusion of a clean space, it was often just hiding a mess - toast crumbs, tea bags, spilt milk and so on.
However, I think some sort of charging cupboard would be brilliant, as I am so sick of seeing a multitude of charges on my kitchen benchtop and scattered around my house. And that is with just two people living permanently in the house.
There are the chargers for phones, earpods, computers, a watch, sometimes there is a charger for a drill or other tool my husband is using in the house, as well as some for the electric toothbrushes and even television remotes.
The number of chargers and leads multiplies whenever our children come to visit. Then, there are also chargers for the grandkids' toys.
Sure, they are not all on the kitchen bench top, but it seems that wherever I look, there is some sort of charging device. Without a doubt, chargers have become a necessity in the 21st Century, but I am sick of seeing them everywhere.
I know this is a first-world problem, and I am grateful for the many mod-cons that make my life easier, so long as they are charged. However, I would be even more grateful if that charging was done behind closed doors, where I didn't see the tangled web of leads.
Needless to say, I am all for a charging cupboard. I might even get my husband to put those tools he often charges in the house to really good use - he could build me such a cupboard.
Jackie Meyers, ACM editor
